Rangers/Flyers Recap: Rangers clinch the top seed

The Rangers played a strong first period, but terrible second and third periods in this 5-3 win over the Flyers. After the first it was 4-0, but it was all Flyers after that. The Rangers were lucky to be in this game after the second, and even luckier to even have a lead halfway through the third. The Rangers may have won this game –and earned a series sweep against the Flyers– but the Flyers gained killer momentum after this game. They know the Rangers can be beat now.

This recap is half myself, and half Suit. I didn’t get home until the second period, so I missed the good part of the game. Suit covered the first, I covered the second and third. Here’s the breakdown.

First Period (Suit):

Game started off pretty slow, with both teams trading shots, but nothing particularly threatening.

The Rangers were able to get their forecheck going and were able to capitalize. Hagelin got the puck deep. Gabby got to it behind the net and fed Mcdonagh, who came streaking in from the point. Hartnell didn’t pick McD up. Boom. 1-0.

Soon after Staal got called for holding. Joe thought it was a borderline penalty, but Staalsie grabbed Schenn’s arm on a transition rush. That’s going to get called every time. The real problem was Cally abandoned Schenn at Philly’s blueline and Schenn was able to get a step on the Rangers defense.

Hank made a ridiculous second save (glove save while splitting) on the PK. He robbed Simmonds about four feet off the crease. Interestingly enough the Philly scorekeeper marked that shot coming from the faceoff circle. Um, no.

Later in the first Rinaldo took a run at Gaborik. Torts deployed Prust. Prust answered the bell and from there the game went downhill for the Flyers.

Rangers again scored thanks to McD getting a puck on net. Prust won the puck down low, fed McD, who put a beebee on net. Brzy gave up a juicy rebound, which Boyle put easily away.

On a PP towards the end of the period, Girardi hit Artie for a stretch pass through the neutral zone. Artie split the defense and buried a nifty deke past Bryz. 3-0.

The Flyers further buried themselves by high sticking Arty after the goal, drawing blood. Rangers went on a 5 on 3, which Cally easily converted off the cycle. 4-0, with PP mins to spare heading into the second period.

Second Period (Dave):

That save that Hank made with his blocker off the deflection going over his shoulder was magnificent. ESPN’s Top 10 plays could be an entire reel of Hank after this game.

The first Flyers goal was a result of the Rangers not playing the body and then an unlucky bounce of Staal’s skate. The Rangers got lazy in this period, and that goal was a direct result.

Speaking of laziness, how about two poor penalties by Richards and Hagelin? The last thing you can give to a team like Philadelphia is hope. Then the Girardi penalty happened, and it’s 5-2, not 5-1.

That goal by Gaborik just shows how great his season has been. He was able to get such a quick shot after taking that pass. That’s why he’s been so good this year. He’s one of the only players in the league that can shoot mid-stride, and he did it there.

Del Zotto had a good period, especially on that penalty kill. The play that sticks out in my mind is a subtle one though. With Jagr bearing down on him, DZ sticks his ground, and forces Jagr to the outside and behind the net. That’s Defense 101.

Back to that Richards penalty…how does the ref at the red line make that call? That needs to stop, they are wrong more often than right. Actually, the officiating was atrocious in this game for both teams. At the end of this period, you had a feeling this game was going to get out of hand real fast.

Raise your hand if you pooped yourself when Hank hurt his hand on the second goal.

Third Period (Dave)

Too many men penalties shouldn’t happen, but they do. However, it’s unacceptable for me to be able to watch the screen and say “wait a minute, something’s not right here.”

The game may have been 5-2 in the third, but it could have been 5-5 or worse. The Rangers, who had a great first period, looked like they took the rest of the game off. They were lucky to hold on to this game.

That Lilja goes to make it 5-3 was part Cally’s fault and part the rest of the team’s fault. The Rangers were running around and didn’t know where they were going. But Lilja was Cally’s man on that goal.

It looked like the Rangers were trying to play the puck too much in the defensive zone instead of the man. That’s what led to that Lilja goal and a number of Flyers chances.

Sure was an off series of events when the refs waved Fedotenko on the ice after the icing. Cally was on the ice, but the refs said Feds was. Weird. It helped the Rangers though.

How about that phantom high stick on Stepan? Good sell job by Giroux, but it illustrates how bad these refs were.

Right from that Stepan penalty to the end of the game, it was a lot more nerve-wracking than it should have been. The game reminded me of that time in Montreal when the Rangers took a 5-0 lead and then lost 6-5 in a shootout. The only difference is that Hank stook on his head this game. The Rangers owe him one on this. They have the top seed in the Eastern Conference because of him.

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22 Responses to “Rangers/Flyers Recap: Rangers clinch the top seed”

Jumping out to a 4 zip lead after the first, we sort of sat back a bit after that, and it got closer than I would have liked. Saying that, I love the fact we swept this filthy team, and nailed down the east. Good job goes out to the entire team, especially Hank, he stood on his head at times tonight.

We see Cindy girl thursday, would someone please slam that cunt into the boards just once during the game. I’m so tired of watching everyone avoid contact with that sweet heart! If you had seen the game against the flyers on Sunday, Cindy took a cheap shot, then when Shenn retaliated, Cindy started crying about someone cross checking her. The pens send out their goons, start a fight, while Danny Brier gets hit so hard that he missed tonghts game, and may miss some more. Again, please someone give that piece of sh*t a knuckle sandwich!!!!!

It wasn’t all that bad. They tried to protect a 4 goal lead too early, they were undisciplined at times, and the officiating was horrible. It brings back memories of the winter classic. 8 pp’s against is hard to defend. Hank was great and the bottom line is we won – again. 6-0 against philthy. Can you say SWEEEEEEEEP!!!!!

Is this a fu*#ing joke??? We so dismantled them in the 1st that we naturally sat back and coasted. Not ideal, but that’s usually what happens in these situations. Your first paragraph is a complete joke. We just swept the season series and clinched 1st in East and what you come away with is that the FLYERS GAINED KILLER MOMENTUM???? Hahahahahaha. Last time I EVER come to this site to read about NYR. Get a grip on reality bro.

Killer momentum!??! They know that they can beat the Rangers now!!?? What the hell game did this BOZO watch! the only way the Philly shitters got any momentum was from the crappy made up calls by the so called refs!!! Gimme a break!! To all Ranger fans: stop reading these blogs! People may have a right to express their opinion but most are obviously MORONS!! Who never played or coached hockey in their wanna be hockey lives!

Considering this is game 80 in an 82 game season, which means that they did 79 recaps (the game against Boston just didnt exist?) and this is the first time I have read a hater post like this one, i think you should calm down a little bit. These are the morons that recap every game, analyze a lot of goalies, and break down defensive strategies so that we have something to read since the local and national media outlets pretend hockey doesn’t exist for the most part. They are also a great source come trade deadline breaking down viable options and possible trade rumors. You may disagree that Philly gained momentum as do I, but that is a matter of opinion. There momentum against us is irrelevant since they are playing a 7 game series against the Penguins which all ‘momentum’ against us will be lost from the long a grueling series.. so take it easy or hit the bricks

Well said Mark. I think what Dave was driving at was during the previous 5 meetings this season, the Rangers must have seemed unbeatable to Philly. From the come back in the Winter Classic to the beat downs at MSG.

Last night the Rangers jumped on the Flyers early and it seemed like history repeating itself. Then they got lazy. Even up until the final seconds, Hank was making crazy saves. They got outshot 40-24 and had the Rangers not struck early, they could easily have lost. They missed an opportunity to really stick a fork in them.

So with that said, RIMB, instead of shooting your mouth off about the quality of the work you spent time reading/commenting on, why don’t you try making an intelligent counter argument instead of just flexing your internet tough guy muscles. If you disagree wit Dave, thats fine, but let’s play nice.

“and what you come away with is that the FLYERS GAINED KILLER MOMENTUM???? Hahahahahaha. Last time I EVER come to this site to read about NYR. Get a grip on reality bro.”

Good to have you back, Craig! But if you really have nothing to do but come back to a blog you’ve already stated that you’d never read again, just to repeat yourself, I suggest a hobby, or a girlfriend/boyfriend, or a job, or something.

Did you seriously go to bed after posting at 1:46am, toss and turn in your rage sleep, get up at 11, then realize your frosted flakes just wouldn’t taste the same unless you gave that free blog another piece of your mind?

But maybe you could just demand your money back for the one paragraph you didn’t like of one of the hundreds of posts they put up in a year?

I know it’s not a popular opinion, but for the record, I *politely* disagree with Dave on the post. I really don’t think this affects the flyers one way or another, especially not in the direction of encouragement…at least not enough through a best of seven series (if we even face them).

And just how do they know now that the Rangers can be beat. You have to beat them first, don’t you? Momentum gained? Are you kidding? Lundqvist has got that whole team talking to themselves. With that goaltending, Philly is going NO WHERE!!!!!

I’m leaving penalties taken out (which favors Philly) because the officiating in this game was terrible.

As I stated above, I only saw the second and third period of the game, so my opinion is skewed to what I saw. I saw a 4-0 lead and a blowout become a legitimate game and concern about whether the Rangers would hold the lead.

All this name calling is funny. So angry over one guy’s opinion. Simma down.

This is the classist blog site out there on hockey, and or the Rangers. Keep up the great work, we appreciate the effert, and work to put out quality every day! There are some out there who have nothing in the way of life, and will bitch, and call people names, that doesn’t do anything other than show that they are mental midgets!!!!!

Well said, Walt. I don’t always agree with the posted articles (although a majority of the time I do), but to take it personally, be upset, and make personal attacks just because the opinions of Blue Seat Blogs do not match your own is utterly ridiculous.

Whoever said that the Flyers gained “Killer Momentum” after Rangers 5-3 dismantling of them on Tuesday is a complete idiot. The Flyers got totally embarrassed by the Rangers in front of their home fans and had to resort to Goon tactics to make the game seem close and not get booed out of their own building. The first goal was off Staal’s skate and should not went in and the others were after questionable calls by the ref’s much like the Winter Classic. If the Rangers kept their foot on the gas for the whole game they could have scored 4 more goals. They played it smart playing defensively and not risking injury after gaining the 4-0 lead.